How to Use This Book

MOUNTAIN VIEW, CALIFORNIA, 10 P.M., FRIDAY

Shoreline Amphitheater was rocking. More than 20,000 people had turned out at northern California’s largest music venue to hear Nine Inch Nails, loud and in charge, on what was expected to be their last tour.

Backstage, there was more unusual entertainment.

“Dude, I go into the stall to take care of business, and I look over and see the top of Tim’s head popping above the divider. He was doing f*cking air squats in the men’s room in complete silence.”

Glenn, a videographer and friend, burst out laughing as he reenacted my technique. To be honest, he needed to get his thighs closer to parallel.

“Forty air squats, to be exact,” I offered.

Kevin Rose, founder of Digg, one of the top-500 most popular websites in the world, joined in the laughter and raised a beer to toast the incident. I, on the other hand, was eager to move on to the main event.

In the next 45 minutes, I consumed almost two full-size barbecue chicken pizzas and three handfuls of mixed nuts, for a cumulative total of about 4,400 calories. It was my fourth meal of the day, breakfast having consisted of two glasses of grapefruit juice, a large cup of coffee with cinnamon, two chocolate croissants, and two bear claws.

The more interesting portion of the story started well after Trent Reznor left the stage.

Roughly 72 hours later, I tested my bodyfat percentage with an ultrasound analyzer designed by a physicist out of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.

Charting the progress on my latest experiment, I’d dropped from 11.9% to 10.2% bodyfat, a 14% reduction of the total fat on my body, in 14 days.

How? Timed doses of garlic, sugar cane, and tea extracts, among other things.

The process wasn’t punishing. It wasn’t hard. Tiny changes were all it took. Tiny changes that, while small in isolation, produced enormous changes when used in combination.

Want to extend the fat-burning half-life of caffeine? Naringenin, a useful little molecule in grapefruit juice, does just the trick.

Need to increase insulin sensitivity before bingeing once per week? Just add some cinnamon to your pastries on Saturday morning, and you can get the job done.

Want to blunt your blood glucose for 60 minutes while you eat a high-carb meal guilt-free? There are a half-dozen options.

But 2% bodyfat in two weeks? How can that be possible if many general practitioners claim that it’s impossible to lose more than two pounds of fat per week? Here’s the sad truth: most of the one-size-fits-all rules, this being one example, haven’t been field-tested for exceptions.

Calories in and calories out? It’s incomplete at best. I’ve lost fat while grossly overfeeding. Cheesecake be praised.

The list goes on and on.

It’s obvious that the rules require some rewriting.

That’s what this book is for.

Diary of a Madman

The spring of 2007 was an exciting time for me.

My first book, after being turned down by 26 out of 27 publishers, had just hit the New York Times bestseller list and seemed headed for #1 on the business list, where it landed several months later. No one was more dumbfounded than me.

One particularly beautiful morning in San Jose, I had my first major media phone interview with Clive Thompson of Wired magazine. During our pre-interview small chat, I apologized if I sounded buzzed. I was. I had just finished a 10-minute workout following a double espresso on an empty stomach. It was a new experiment that would take me to single-digit body-fat with two such sessions per week.

Clive wanted to talk to me about e-mail and websites like Twitter. Before we got started, and as a segue from the workout comment, I joked that the major fears of modern man could be boiled down to two things: too much e-mail and getting fat. Clive laughed and agreed. Then we moved on.

The interview went well, but it was this offhand joke that stuck with me. I retold it to dozens of people over the subsequent month, and the response was always the same: agreement and nodding.

This book, it seemed, had to be written.

The wider world thinks I’m obsessed with time management, but they haven’t seen the other—much more legitimate, much more ridiculous—obsession.

I’ve recorded almost every workout I’ve done since age 18. I’ve had more than 1,000 blood tests1 performed since 2004, sometimes as often as every two weeks, tracking everything from complete lipid panels, insulin, and hemoglobin A1c, to IGF-1 and free testosterone. I’ve had stem cell growth factors imported from Israel to reverse “permanent” injuries, and I’ve flown to rural tea farmers in China to discuss Pu-Erh tea’s effects on fat-loss. All said and done, I’ve spent more than $250,000 on testing and tweaking over the last decade.

Just as some people have avant-garde furniture or artwork to decorate their homes, I have pulse oximeters, ultrasound machines, and medical devices for measuring everything from galvanic skin response to REM sleep.

The kitchen and bathroom look like an ER.

If you think that’s craziness, you’re right. Fortunately, you don’t need to be a guinea pig to benefit from one.

Hundreds of men and women have tested the techniques in The 4-Hour Body (4HB) over the last two years, and I’ve tracked and graphed hundreds of their results (194 people in this book). Many have lost more than 20 pounds of fat in the first month of experimentation, and for the vast majority, it’s the first time they’ve ever been able to do so.

Why do 4HB approaches work where others fail?

Because the changes are either small or simple, and often both. There is zero room for misunderstanding, and visible results compel you to continue. If results are fast and measurable,2 self-discipline isn’t needed.

I can give you every popular diet in four lines. Ready?

– Eat more greens.

– Eat less saturated fat.

– Exercise more and burn more calories.

– Eat more omega-3 fatty acids.

We won’t be covering any of this. Not because it doesn’t work—it does . . . up to a point. But it’s not the type of advice that will make friends greet you with “What the #$%& have you been doing?!”, whether in the dressing room or on the playing field.

That requires an altogether different approach.

The Unintentional Dark Horse

Let’s be clear: I’m neither a doctor nor a PhD. I am a meticulous data cruncher with access to many of the world’s best athletes and scientists.

This puts me in a rather unusual position.

I’m able to pull from disciplines and subcultures that rarely touch one another, and I’m able to test hypotheses using the kind of self-experimentation mainstream practitioners can’t condone (though their help behind the scenes is critical). By challenging basic assumptions, it’s possible to stumble upon simple and unusual solutions to long-standing problems.

Overfat? Try timed protein and pre-meal lemon juice.

Undermuscled? Try ginger and sauerkraut.

Can’t sleep? Try upping your saturated fat or using cold exposure.

This book includes the findings of more than 100 PhDs, NASA scientists, medical doctors, Olympic athletes, professional sports trainers (from the NFL to MLB), world-record holders, Super Bowl rehabilitation specialists, and even former Eastern Bloc coaches. You’ll meet some of the most incredible specimens, including before- and- after transformations, you’ve ever seen.

I don’t have a publish-or-perish academic career to preserve, and this is a good thing. As one MD from a well-known Ivy League university said to me over lunch:

We’re trained for 20 years to be risk-averse. I’d like to do the experimentation, but I’d risk everything I’ve built over two decades of schooling and training by doing so. I’d need an immunity necklace. The university would never tolerate it.

He then added: “You can be the dark horse.”

It’s a strange label, but he was right. Not just because I have no prestige to lose. I’m also a former industry insider.

From 2001 to 2009, I was CEO of a sports nutrition company with distribution in more than a dozen countries, and while we followed the rules, it became clear that many others didn’t. It wasn’t the most profitable option. I have witnessed blatant lies on nutritional fact panels, marketing executives budgeting for FTC fines in anticipation of lawsuits, and much worse from some of the best-known brands in the business.3 I understand how and where consumers are deceived. The darker tricks of the trade in supplements and sports nutrition—clouding results of “clinical trials” and creative labeling as just two examples—are nearly the same as in biotech and Big Pharma.

I will teach you to spot bad science, and therefore bad advice and bad products.4

Late one evening in the fall of 2009, I sat eating cassoulet and duck legs with Dr. Lee Wolfer in the clouds of fog known as San Francisco. The wine was flowing, and I told her of my fantasies to return to a Berkeley or Stanford and pursue a doctorate in the biological sciences. I was briefly a neuroscience major at Princeton University and dreamed of a PhD at the end of my name. Lee is regularly published in peer-reviewed journals and has been trained at some of the finest programs in the world, including the University of California at San Francisco (UCSF) (MD), Berkeley (MS), Harvard Medical School (residency), the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago (fellowship), and Spinal Diagnostics in Daly City, California (fellowship).

She just smiled and raised a glass of wine before responding:

“You—Tim Ferriss—can do more outside the system than inside it.”

A Laboratory of One

“Many of these theories have been killed off only when some decisive experiment exposed their incorrectness . . . thus the yeoman work in any science . . . is done by the experimentalist, who must keep the theoreticians honest.”

The last jump from the rich to the general public can take 10–20 years, if it happens at all. It often doesn’t.

I’m not suggesting that you start injecting yourself with odd substances never before tested on humans. I am suggesting, however, that government agencies (the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Food and Drug Administration) are at least 10 years behind current research, and at least 20 years behind compelling evidence in the field.

More than a decade ago, a close friend named Paul was in a car accident and suffered brain damage that lowered his testosterone production. Even with supplemental testosterone treatments (creams, gels, short-acting injectables) and after visiting scores of top endocrinologists, he still suffered from the symptoms of low testosterone. Everything changed— literally overnight—once he switched to testosterone enanthate, a variation seldom seen in the medical profession in the United States. Who made the suggestion? An advanced bodybuilder who knew his biochemistry. It shouldn’t have made a difference, yet it did.

Do doctors normally take advantage of the 50+ years of experience that professional bodybuilders have testing, even synthesizing, esters of testosterone? No. Most doctors view bodybuilders as cavalier amateurs, and bodybuilders view doctors as too risk-averse to do anything innovative.

This separation of the expertise means both sides suffer suboptimal results.

Handing your medical care over to the biggest man-gorilla in your gym is a bad idea, but it’s important to look for discoveries outside of the usual suspects. Those closest to a problem are often the least capable of seeing it with fresh eyes.

Despite the incredible progress in some areas of medicine in the last 100 years, a 60-year-old in 2009 can expect to live an average of only 6 years longer than a 60-year-old in 1900.

Me? I plan on living to 120 while eating the best rib-eye cuts I can find.

More on that later.

Suffice to say: for uncommon solutions, you have to look in uncommon places.

The Future’s Already Here

In our current world, even if proper trials are funded for obesity studies as just one example, it might take 10–20 years for the results. Are you prepared to wait?

I hope not.

“Kaiser can’t talk to UCSF, who can’t talk to Blue Shield. You are the arbiter of your health information.” Those are the words of a leading surgeon at UCSF, who encouraged me to take my papers with me before hospital records claimed them as their property.

Now the good news: with a little help, it’s never been easier to collect a few data points (at little cost), track them (without training), and make small changes that produce incredible results.

Type 2 diabetics going off of medication 48 hours after starting a dietary intervention? Wheelchair-bound seniors walking again after 14 weeks of training? This is not science fiction. It’s being done today. As William Gibson, who coined the term “cyberspace,” has said:

“The future is already here—it is just unevenly distributed.”

The 80/20 Principle: From Wall Street to the Human Machine

This book is designed to give you the most important 2.5% of the tools you need for body recomposition and increased performance. Some short history can explain this odd 2.5%.

Vilfredo Pareto was a controversial economist-cum-sociologist who lived from 1848 to 1923. His seminal work, Cours d’économie politique, included a then little explored “law” of income distribution that would later bear his name: “Pareto’s Law,” or “the Pareto Distribution.” It is more popularly known as “the 80/20 Principle.”

Pareto demonstrated a grossly uneven but predictable distribution of wealth in society—80 percent of the wealth and income is produced and possessed by 20 percent of the population. He also showed that this 80/20 principle could be found almost everywhere, not just in economics. Eighty percent of Pareto’s garden peas were produced by 20% of the pea-pods he had planted, for example.

In practice, the 80/20 principle is often much more disproportionate.

To be perceived as fluent in conversational Spanish, for example, you need an active vocabulary of approximately 2,500 high-frequency words. This will allow you to comprehend more than 95% of all conversation. To get to 98% comprehension would require at least five years of practice instead of five months. Doing the math, 2,500 words is a mere 2.5% of the estimated 100,000 words in the Spanish language.

This means:

2.5% of the total subject matter provides 95% of the desired results.

This same 2.5% provides just 3% less benefit than putting in 12 times as much effort.

This incredibly valuable 2.5% is the key, the Archimedes lever, for those who want the best results in the least time. The trick is finding that 2.5%.5

This book is not intended as a comprehensive treatise on all things related to the human body. My goal is to share what I have found to be the 2.5% that delivers 95% of the results in rapid body redesign and performance enhancement. If you are already at 5% bodyfat or bench-pressing 400 pounds, you are in the top 1% of humans and now in the world of incremental gains. This book is for the other 99% who can experience near-unbelievable gains in short periods of time.

How to Use This Book—Five Rules

It is important that you follow five rules with this book. Ignore them at your peril.

RULE #1. THINK OF THIS BOOK AS A BUFFET.

Do not read this book from start to finish.

Most people won’t need more than 150 pages to reinvent themselves. Browse the table of contents, pick the chapters that are most relevant, and discard the rest . . . for now. Pick one appearance goal and one performance goal to start.

The only mandatory sections are “Fundamentals” and “Ground Zero.” Here are some popular goals, along with the corresponding chapters to read in the order listed:

RAPID FAT-LOSS

– All chapters in “Fundamentals”

– All chapters in “Ground Zero”

– “The Slow-Carb Diet I and II”

– “Building the Perfect Posterior”

– Total page count: 98

RAPID MUSCLE GAIN

– All chapters in “Fundamentals”

– All chapters in “Ground Zero”

– “From Geek to Freak”

– “Occam’s Protocol I and II”

– Total page count: 97

RAPID STRENGTH GAIN

– All chapters in “Fundamentals”

– All chapters in “Ground Zero”

– “Effortless Superhuman” (pure strength, little mass gain)

– “Pre-Hab: Injury-Proofing the Body”

– Total page count: 92

RAPID SENSE OF TOTAL WELL-BEING

– All chapters in “Fundamentals”

– All chapters in “Ground Zero”

– All chapters in “Improving Sex”

– All chapters in “Perfecting Sleep”

– “Reversing ‘Permanent’ Injuries”

– Total page count: 143

Once you’ve selected the bare minimum to get started, get started.

Then, once you’ve committed to a plan of action, dip back into the book at your leisure and explore. Immediately practical advice is contained in every chapter, so don’t discount something based on the title. Even if you are a meat-eater (as I am), for example, you will benefit from “The Meatless Machine.”

Just don’t read it all at once.

RULE #2. SKIP THE SCIENCE IF IT’S TOO DENSE.

You do not need to be a scientist to read this book.

For the geeks and the curious, however, I’ve included a lot of cool details. These details can often enhance your results but are not required reading. Such sections are boxed and labeled “Geek’s Advantage” with a “GA” symbol.

Even if you’ve been intimidated by science in the past, I encourage you to browse some of these GA sections—at least a few will offer some fun “holy sh*t!” moments and improve results 10% or so.

If you ever feel overwhelmed, though, skip them, as they’re not mandatory for the results you’re after.

RULE #3. PLEASE BE SKEPTICAL.

Don’t assume something is true because I say it is.

As the legendary Timothy Noakes PhD, author or co-author of more than 400 published research papers, is fond of saying: “Fifty percent of what we know is wrong. The problem is that we do not know which 50% it is.” Everything in this book works, but I have surely gotten some of the mechanisms completely wrong. In other words, I believe the how-to is 100% reliable, but some of the why-to will end up on the chopping block as we learn more.

RULE #4. DON’T USE SKEPTICISM AS AN EXCUSE FOR INACTION.

As the good Dr. Noakes also said to me about one Olympic training regimen: “This [approach] could be totally wrong, but it’s a hypothesis worth disproving.”

It’s important to look for hypotheses worth disproving.

Science starts with educated (read: wild-ass) guesses. Then it’s all trial and error. Sometimes you predict correctly from the outset. More often, you make mistakes and stumble across unexpected findings, which lead to new questions. If you want to sit on the sidelines and play full-time skeptic, suspending action until a scientific consensus is reached, that’s your choice. Just realize that science is, alas, often as political as a dinner party with die-hard Democrats and Republicans. Consensus comes late at best.

Don’t use skepticism as a thinly veiled excuse for inaction or remaining in your comfort zone. Be skeptical, but for the right reason: because you’re looking for the most promising option to test in real life.

Be proactively skeptical, not defensively skeptical.

Let me know if you make a cool discovery or prove me wrong. This book will evolve through your feedback and help.

RULE #5. ENJOY IT.

I’ve included a lot of odd experiences and screwups just for simple entertainment value. All fact and no play makes Jack a dull boy.

Much of the content is intended to be read as the diary of a madman. Enjoy it. More than anything, I’d like to impart the joy of exploration and discovery. Remember: this isn’t a homework assignment. Take it at your own pace.

The Billionaire Productivity Secret and the Experimental Lifestyle

“How do you become more productive?”

Richard Branson leaned back and thought for a second. The tropical sounds of his private oasis, Necker Island, murmured in the background. Twenty people sat around him at rapt attention, wondering what a billionaire’s answer would be to one of the big questions—perhaps the biggest question—of business. The group had been assembled by marketing impresario Joe Polish to brainstorm growth options for Richard’s philanthropic Virgin Unite. It was one of his many new ambitious projects. Virgin Group already had more than 300 companies, more than 50,000 employees, and $25 billion per year in revenue. In other words, Branson had personally built an empire larger than the GDP of some developing countries.

Then he broke the silence:

“Work out.”

He was serious and elaborated: working out gave him at least four additional hours of productive time every day.

The cool breeze punctuated his answer like an exclamation point.

4HB is intended to be much more than a book.

I view 4HB as a manifesto, a call to arms for a new mental model of living: the experimental lifestyle. It’s up to you—not your doctor, not the newspaper—to learn what you best respond to. The benefits go far beyond the physical.

If you understand politics well enough to vote for a president, or if you have ever filed taxes, you can learn the few most important scientific rules for redesigning your body. These rules will become your friends, 100% reliable and trusted.

This changes everything.

It is my sincere hope, if you’ve suffered from dissatisfaction with your body, or confusion regarding diet and exercise, that your life will be divided into before-4HB and after-4HB. It can help you do what most people would consider superhuman, whether losing 100 pounds of fat or holding your breath for five minutes. It all works.

There are, of course, some outstanding companies with solid R&D and uncompromising ethics, but they are few and far between. Back to Text

I have absolutely no financial interest in any of the supplements I recommend in this book. If you purchase any supplement from a link in this book, an affiliate commission is sent directly to the nonprofit DonorsChoose.org, which helps public schools in the United States. Back to Text

Philosopher Nassim N. Taleb noted an important difference between language and biology that I’d like to underscore: the former is largely known and the latter is largely unknown. Thus, our 2.5% is not 2.5% of a perfect finite body of knowledge, but the most empirically valuable 2.5% of what we know now. Back to Text

Related and Recommended

The Tim Ferriss Showis one of the most popular podcasts in the world with over 500 million downloads. It has been selected for "Best of Apple Podcasts" three times, it is often the #1 interview podcast across all of Apple Podcasts, and it's been ranked #1 out of 400,000+ podcasts on many occasions. To listen to any of the past episodes for free, check out this page.

Comment Rules: Remember what Fonzie was like? Cool. That’s how we’re gonna
be — cool. Critical is fine, but if you’re rude, we’ll delete your stuff. Please do not put your URL in the comment text and please use your PERSONAL name or initials and not your business name, as the latter comes off like spam. Have fun and thanks for adding to the conversation! (Thanks to Brian Oberkirch for the inspiration.)

I’m so excited to read your book but as a type 1 diabetic here has already commented, I too am concerned with how far I’ll be able to take some of this advice.

I’ve been talking with a former Mr. Universe who is a type 1 diabetic about how a type 1 diabetic on insulin gains extra muscle and fat unless minimizing insulin intake (low carb eating).

I do what I can with the slow carb diet but, lentils and beans are quite problematic as they require a good bit of insulin stretched out over a period of time. Not to mention type 1 diabetics have to deal with a different percentage of insulin not being absorbed into the body each time it’s injected and this means the more carbs being consumed the greater the margin of error on insulin absorption. And the greater the likelihood that blood sugar will be too high afterwards (requiring more insulin) or low (requiring sugar). You can see how it’s tough for a type 1 diabetic to stay lean.

I’ve got 20 pounds to go. I do hope to give you great feedback on how a type 1 diabetic is able to use the info you provide in the book. I hope a few tweaks won’t dramatically change results. I guess we’ll see 🙂

“‘Education is the key to injury prevention’ is the motto that guides my work. This website was created for dancers and dance teachers who are interested in the science of dance training. Our bodies are designed for movement – no matter what your height, size or flexibility. It is my intent to give you the highest quality of information – based on anatomical principles and sound advice from dance specialists from around the world.”

Looking forward to seeing the book in my library (trying not to own too much).

Amy Hogg had instructed me in May to write on your blog. I had intended to talk to you about Paleo Nutrition and Evolutionary Fitness, but it appears that someone already had!! Even better! Kudos to you!!

Hi Tim, looking forward to the UK launch of this book. Got a question that relates. What’s your take on hair loss and medication? I notice you’ve taken hair loss in your stride and pull it off very well. Did you consider finasteride and decide the side effects weren’t worth it. Would appreciate your knowledgeable feedback and opinion. Thanks.

I know the options well, but decided that I liked gaining strength easily and strong sex drive more than finasteride. It can definitely affect both the gym and bedroom negatively, as do most options that block DHT somehow.

Tim I have to Admit it was Good choice to read your first book. Rhonda and Brian Swan introduced me to it like year ago. Now I am been traveling 10 out last 12 months. Next year will also be 10 out of 12 months. The Body has always been something I have tried to make work with eating junk food. That First Chapter had me sold on his book I can’t wait. Book will be waiting for me when I get home next week for 10 days. Leaving puerto rico to cold ass chicago. Really Do appreciate that you 4 hour work week and expect nothing less in the 4 hour body. Any year Before this most traveled was month and half total. REALLY appreciate it.

I see what you did on that breakfast (and my technical degree in chemistry helped me a lot in understanding what you did). I’m trying to replicate that while the book is shipped to Brazil. I can’t wait to see the rest.

But I need to ask this: in doing the “breakfast recipe”, there’s any risk of becoming hypoglycemic? If so, I’ll go run on the treadmill with some candies in my pockets 🙂

I am taking a vacation to Mexico next wednesday with my girlfriend for a week, and I wanted to read the book while down there. Do you know if I preorder on amazon if it will arrive on the release day or just ship then?

Anyone that knows, please interject! I am trying to get my hands on a copy the day it comes out.

Amazon will sometimes ship early to allow their customers to receive the book on release day. AFAIK, they’ve only done that for Harry Potter. At worst, they’ll ship on morning of release, baring unforeseeable events.

Thanks guys! I will have to just break down and pay full price at Barnes and Noble the day it comes out! I want it to read while sipping some drink in Mexico.. gotta love being 22 and already writing my own paychecks…

Btw Tim, I read 4HWW on my mexican vacation last year.. now 4HB, so next year I need something at the same time… Just saying 🙂

I like that you bring everything back to the raw data and show that it isn’t rocket science or mysticism to live a healthy lifestyle. Your conversational tone makes it relatable for anyone to read and ‘get’ it. Nice work Tim. I’m looking forward to finishing the book. Another project nicely executed.

I noticed you followed Martin Berkhan and was wondering if your book talks about intermittent fasting. That’s definitely been a shortcut to getting lean for me, and I’ve lost very little fat in the process.

I am really excited for the book to come out! Hey, I was wondering if I could get a copy early so I could spread the word. You see, although I am super stoked for what you have written, nobody I know has heard about it. Im a college student at Biola University and I feel like this thing has the potential to spread like crazy on my campus if the word got out. Let me know if this could work out.

Wow, Tim! Wow. You have clearly articulated in one chapter everything I have discovered to be true and not so just since I began to seriously delve into the potential of the human body at the age of 15. This book couldn’t be more timely. There is just so much confusion out there. And there is this depressing sense of failure surrounding diet and exercise – so many people have tried a popular diet and failed, never really taking into consideration how that diet relates to their own bio-individuality – and it is like they think that the dietary theory was just so compelling that they have this deeply ingrained sense of failure. They think they must not have the discipline, but never once did it cross their mind that something simply didn’t work – not that they are inherently broken or even that the theory is broken. You’ve got to be open to discovery. You’ve got to question assumptions. Thank you, Tim.

I am not a big fan of “work-out,” “diet,” and “gym” but I guess it is only because I am not too aware of what I can do to look and feel better. I went to my doctor one day and learned that I have “hormonal imbalance” and that’s one of the reasons why it was so difficult for me to lose weight. I dwelt into that fact and stayed overweight believing that there’s nothing more I can do. However, when I consulted a physician about taking a diet pill, he asked me, “why? are you obese?” That’s the time I realized that it’s not too late for me. Learning from you makes me realize that there’s always something you can do despite unfortunate facts like “hormonal imbalance.” Now, I am more motivated to explore more options in a natural way and loving my body not only for looks but also for healthy living.

I like the introduction and look forward to reading the rest. A few things…

I notice that you are including google ads lately on your posts. There is nothing wrong with that. It’s just that ads for Force Factor, Stimulant X and Jillian Michaels keeps getting paired with your “4 hour body” posts. It might give the impression that you are personally endorsing these products to be used in conjunction with your “4 hour body” techniques. If that is not the case, it might be a good idea to block certain ads for the “4 hour body” posts to avoid any confusion. This is just my observation. Don’t think too much of it.

From the introduction, I gathered that the main content of the “4 hour body” will be innovative and rather controversial. Since the unavoidable backlash could be quite severe, (the bigger splash this book makes, the bigger the backlash) I was thinking it would be a good idea to have a central location to collect video testimonials and maybe also a forum where people can post “before and after” pictures as well as exchange stories about their “4 hour body” experiences. Having a central location (the 4 hour body website for instance) insures that people’s experiences will feed off each other, creating new conversations and interests that snowballs, maximizing the chances of your book going viral. The goal, of course, is to gather as much credibility as possible through the testimonials and public interest that your books not only becomes immune the backlash, but also non-displaceable/non-replaceable.

Given your deep interest in health and fitness, I am guessing that this will not be the your last book on the subject. For your continuing research and maybe your next book, I would like to suggest looking into acupuncture. The fact that you can medically benefit from painlessly sticking metal needles into a person’s body may prove to be very interesting. Qi gong is another interesting subject which I am only recently exploring. (so far, very fascinating) Both, acupuncture and qi gong, takes some commitment to master, but I am curious what someone as accomplished as you can make out of it. Good thing New York has no shortage of qualified instructors, even on Long Island. 🙂

Can’t wait to read this! I’m currently on month 3 of my year long mini-retirement traveling through Thailand and Oz learning Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, playing guitar and doing loads of amazing things thanks to the last one 🙂 You’re a legend bro, keep up the awesome work.

I am a fairly new fan of yours Tim, and have praised your blog often over the past couple of months, but I have to admit that all the talk and hype about the 4HB was of no interest to me at all – until now! You have perfectly timed that little teaser of the book and I am totally hooked! Right now it is 9:45pm in Australia and I am starting to feel hungry. All the rules I have previously be hounded with over the years are currently telling me not to eat before going to sleep, but all I can think about is eating a chocolate croissant! Can’t wait to get the book and try to re-create the rules to suit ME! Cheers!

Absolutely loved your first book & am really looking forward to reading the 4-Hour Body. The only problem is that I live in the UK, and Amazon UK (at the time of writing) only accepts pre-orders on your paperback version, due out in February …

Looks like an interesting read. I like how each section addresses a particular need (a buffet, very clever). Gonna take a read. Quick question – do you have citations and references or data sources used? I’m a data and science guy too.

Excellent preview, thanks! I’ve got my copy on order. I knew I was looking forward to this book, but until I read the chapter you provided I haven’t had ‘the fever’ about it. I’m getting pumped man, thanks!

Quick question: In the above sample chapter you talk about benefits of cinnamon for insulin sensitivity. But what cinnamon are you talking about? I believe “cassia” is the more common cinnamon that most people have in their pantries but a lot of spice shops sell “ceylon” or “true cinnamon” (this is what I apparently have in my cupboard). They are two different things… which one gives the benefit?

CASSIA (aka Cinnamomum cassia, Saigon cinnamon or Vietnam- or China-originated cinnamon) the form of cinnamon that has been used in the scientific research. It’s also the form of cinnamon that is sold most commonly in the USA and that tastes the most “cinnamon-y”. The only drawback of cassia is that, taken in huge quantities –beyond the quantities suggested in 4HB–, you could be ingesting too much of a blood-thinning compound called coumarin.

So if you plan to go overboard with the cinnamon (tempting, as it tastes good and does work for weight loss), you could opt to use true cinnamon instead (Cinnamomum zelanicum, Ceylon cinnamon or Cinnamomum verum; originating from Sri Lanka). Taste is lighter, maybe less satisfying, and is also more expensive and more difficult to find in the USA, but no worries about coumarin-induced blood thinning. Will it be as effective? Hard to say because of lack of scientific data.

Good opening chapter. A lot of health, like this chapter, is common sense and the appropriate attitude. This is especially true if your coming back from injury, have pain, or just plain need a life transformation because where you are at sucks. I am an athlete, coach, doctor, and creator, the book seems to be a distilation of what works. My advice: read, experiment, take good notes, throw out what is not working for you, keep what does. If you can’t figure it out on your own, get a GOOD coach (get a GOOD one anyway). I can’t wait to read.

About ready to depart on my rtw trip… If 4HB has even a fraction of the impact on my life as the 4HWW, then I will come back from traveling the world with a clear mind and a healthier body (2 of the major reasons I am embarking on this rtw trip)

I wonder if 4HB for ppl like me who spent their last year of life sitting at the desk and didn’t exercise at all? (literally!). Last time i did a quick march my legs hurted as hell after 100 meters! Now i changed a job (still working on my 4hww) i have got more time in hands and want to do sth about it.

You’ve covered hacking your sleep and slow-carb, but what about falling asleep in meetings and on long drives, is that a sugar low (i’ve tried eating candy and it’s not boredom), not sleeping enough (I do), or what the hell is it??? If this is in the book I’ll buy it for just that…

Already bought 5 books. Xmas is easy this year. Your original thinking has allowed you to shatter previous common conceptions regarding physical perfomance. Do you have any information on a problem that has become far too common as of late with US soldiers and athletes, MTBI aka Post-Concussion Syndrome.

Although the past two years have been the best of my life–I travelled throughout Europe and Latin America while learning two languages to fluency and among other things competing in salsa competitions in part because of your book–it has been a very difficult time as well. Three years after the injury, my MTBI still affects me. At times a darkness, overwhelming fatigue, and inability to concentrate prevents me from enjoying my new life. This is the case for thousands, and numbers will continue to rise as our soldiers remain in harms way and our athletes continue to hit eachother with more force.

I have researched it extensively–even muking through everything relevant at the library of congerss–and have not find much. All that info, however, was from traditional sources. I have tried everything from traditional chinese medicine to massage to traditional prescriptions (generally some form of anti-depressant paired with a stimulant when needed for focus) to yoga to no gluten to vitamin overloads to a davinci sleep cycle to meditation retreats to energetic healing … the list goes on. Homeopathy I believe has been the most effective treatment, but my improvement is so marginal that it is hard to tell. I am not dying, but Im not living the way I want to either. I am not alone in this struggle.

Do you or any readers out there have a possible answer to this?

Is there an ideal physical state for recovery, especially neurological recovery?

With me and most like me, there is not physical damage–the brain is 100% intact, which must mean it is capable of returning to full function again. The problem is no one knows how. I would love feedback from anyone.

An alternative is ACT – Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. Both work well for different people. The book you want to check out is “The Happiness Trap” for a non self-help, usable, and easy to digest explanation. See: http://su.pr/5qB72B

Roughly explained: While CBT recommends that you have a negative thought, you should tell the thought to stop thus preventing the negative cycle. ACT states you should acknowledge the thoughts bringing you down, accept them just as thoughts, and let them pass, so they don’t keep recurring.

Both methods are useful to remove the open-loops (see GTD) that spiral you down, increasing your ability to focus and bring you out of the darkness.

Can anybody recommend a good book on CBT for Michael? I’m also interested in any results you might have.

@Tim, CBT did not help me much. I could see how it would be great for others, but it wasn’t for me. I already have a pretty good support group and some friends/mentors helped keep me focused on my personal goals and also remind me of the good when I was too symptomatic to see it on my own. Meditation practice has also helped me “live more in the present” and “focus on my goals and personal priorities” both of which I put in quotes because they were two of the paradigms of my therapist while in CBT.

@Tgrr, I will definitely check the book out. It seems very self-help–the title reminds me of Tom’s reading of “The Architecture of Happiness” in “500 Days of Summer” (I know it’s a chick flick)–but all the reviews describe it as an accessible, well-researched, valuable book. I look forward to reading the book but don’t think it will be the answer. I still am happy and productive, but the fatigue and focus problems detract from my overall quality of life.

I also found some articles recently on hyperbaric chambers used to accelerate recovery. I would try it in a second, but it’s pretty expensive and my insurance doesn’t cover it. Bill Romanowski said without a hyperbaric chamber he never could have recovered from his MTBI as he did. He also is well, Bill Romanowski. Does anyone have thoughts on hyperbaric chambers to treat more than superficial injuries, MTBI, or the therapies mentioned in the above comments?

This is a necropost, but this is the only place I have seen a reference to mTBI. TBI, especially blast-induced TBI, sucks. A hyperbaric chamber will likely work in the same way some of the more extreme stem cell therapies ‘might’ work; it gets more oxygen into your brain, because TBI can be associated with hypoxia, but it does not actually ‘un-break’ anything.

From what reading I have done, it seems that dementia, alzheimer’s, ALS, huntington’s, and CTE are being identified as ‘similar process, different part of the nervous system’. A promising treatment is in the form of chemicals that upregulate BDNF production in the brain, but unfortunately, even at the cutting edge of animal studies, the best they do is prevent further decline.

Since ‘white matter’ deterioration is suggested as a mechanism of the injury (identified in DTI MRI imaging), and ‘transcranial direct current stimulation’ shows, optimistically, an effect on white matter growth, and anecdotally, some soldiers have reported benefit to the ‘brain fog’ from TDCS, I would encourage giving that a shot, but as always, your mileage may vary, and with head injuries, it is not so much ‘recovery’ as it is ‘survival’.

At this point, since head injury can be a degenerative disorder, and ‘proven’ therapy is not in the immediate future, if you want to be a guinea pig with possible BDNF-upregulating chemistry and TDCS, you might notice some improvement…or you might not, and might be among the lucky few who experience ‘new’ and ‘unknown’ side effects to compound your head injury.

I loved The Four Hour Work Week. Devoured it and read it twice. That said, I will not be reading The Four Hour Body. Can’t deal with the fact that you have included the sexual content. Maybe some people really love and expect it, but I don’t need it or want it. FYI.

I can’t wait to get this book. I am an amputee and I am hoping that your methods will either be possible for me or I will be able to adjust them for my situation as an above the knee amputee. Having a large part of your leg gone makes it challenging to keep the fat away. Don’t get me wrong, I am not trying to make excuses but it does present me with challenges. I wrote to you before that I am going to learn Krav Maga in Israel at the beginning of the year and I can’t wait and I am counting on that to help with my fitness. This will be my own personal experiment. Something that I am capable of doing if you are ever looking for more test subjects. After losing the leg I dedicated myself to doing all the best I can for my body and it has served me well. If you ever want to compare notes, drop me a line.

You Rock! You’ve done the experiments that I always wanted to do (but my wife wouldn’t let me). I’ve ordered your new book, and plan on putting it to the test and blogging about my results. I always look forward to reading your work because you know no box!

What a great resource! Does anyone know the equivalent of “2.5% of the total subject matter provides 95% of the desired results” for electrical engineering? I help setup camps in remote places in East Africa and knowing the fundamentals of electrical engineering (setting up generators, reading schematics, checking electrical stuff etc..) would greatly improve my effectiveness here.

In the Geek to Freak chapter, is there a set plan to follow, or do we just have to extract what we can from it using your workout plan and the tips? Would prefer to give that a go, over the Occam’s Protocol workout.

Tim, I pre ordered the book and received it early which was a nice suprise and in the Thinner, bigger, faster, stronger chapter you mention trying ginger and sauerkraut if you are undermuscled. Which pages of the book do you elaborate on this as I cant seem to find it?

On the topic of gynecomastia: I have it; I had the majority of it surgically removed when I was 18, but I’m still prone to redeveloping it whenever I gain fat. Going by the signs and symptoms, I’m sure I have Klinefelter’s syndrome. Tim, I’ll gladly be a guinea pig if you need a test subject like moi. I’m starting the slow-carb diet tomo (13th Dec) then perfecting it once I get your book in my hands. Next step will be increasing testosterone and sperm count! 😉

The one MAJOR thing I dont see here (even after reading most of the advance copy), is a chapter on hacking “the common cold”, i.e. preventing it outright

I would figure this is on everybody’s wishlist, certainly is on mine 😉

I eat great, make sure to eat a larger than typical amount of alkalizing foods, I drink quite a bit of green tea every day, yet I still get a minor sore-throat/cold about 3-4 times per winter (here in Colorado).

Maybe a follow up edition or a blog post would be great! your thoughts please…

Hey Tim, thank you for DOCUMENTING everything and keeping your explorations evidence-based and backed up by data. I love innovation and from most any source, but it’s got to be evidence-based.

I loved part in the chapter above where you were musing to Dr. Lee Wolfer that you might like a Ph.D. in neuroscience, and she said that you could make more of a difference outside the system than inside it. My husband is a cardiologist. The structures and the culture make going outside the box very difficult, and progress unnecessarily slow. I’m not medically trained, and I’m certainly not “anti-conventional medicine”, but very much enjoy learning about “outside the box” health stuff that is gold, amidst all the dross.

If you haven’t already been looking at this, you will probably enjoy these videos on evidence-based work being done re: coconut oil “curing” Alzheimers. (The facility needed to produce the huge quantities of the effective elements at 10x the concentration that is gotten by people ingesting coconut oil might make a very interesting crowdfunding project.)

Keep it up, Tim. And I’ll bet you put up a site eventually that will allow us all to track results from experimenting with 4HB techniques, to sort of crowd-source more data (albeit suspect data)? Can’t wait to see where this all goes. Thanks for being provocative.

@Sarah – I can’t find an article online but I have read some years ago (late 70’s?) of at least one documented case of someone stranded on a desert island with nothing but coconuts to eat for over two years with no physical ill effects.

@Sarah – that’s actually a very good question! Had one partner who couldn’t handle more than about 30sec because her whole body tensed so tightly in orgasm that she literally couldn’t breath. Also had somebody collapse halfway to the bathroom once because her knees were so weak. (“With great power comes great responsibility”. 🙂

Almost finished reading 4HWW and absolutely love it. Such a great help, and inspiration as I am in the process of waving goodbye to a stressful (yet successful) sales career, and starting my own consulting endeavor. Your advice is one of my main blueprints for the design (and this comes after reading MANY business books and mags..).

I’m really looking forward to receiving the 4HB and really hope it will adress my ‘hold up’ when it comes to working out. I’m in relatively good shape, and considered pretty strong in the gym. The problem is, my family genetics is to carry that layer of fat that hides most of the gains made in the gym.

Very frustrating to workout hard 4-6 days a week and still have people come up and say “yeah, still have a lilttle of that beer belly”. It’s the jiggly belly fat that will go down, but I never seems to be able to get any type of definition around the mid-section (worse in the stomach area, but upper body is where all of the fat goes to).

Does your book (and past research) specifically address, what seems to be, those of us that may be genetically pre-disposed to hold fat in certain areas of the body (my case, upper body)?? The thought of really seeing something that resembles a ‘sculpted body’ would have me sold in a second!

Cannot wait to get the new book. if it does for my body what the four hour work week did for my life it will kick ass. I am currently writing from my room in Amsterdam where I am enjoying country number 10 out of 30 with my wife and four kids. We are on a nine month journey spurred by your first book. My company is at home making money and I am enjoying the sites of the world!!

I don’t remember where, but I do remember reading something you wrote that basically said you want people to have two situations: their life before 4HB and their life after 4HB. That idea really stuck with me and it is why I’ve decided to get out of my fitness complacency and use the 4HB to transform myself.

I will be documenting everything so that everyone can be inspired by the proof of your advice.

I would not like to donate my sperm because my girlfriend is against it which I totally understand.

So basically I just do 3 day without masturbation, then one day of masturbation, then another 3 day break? And this will lower my need to do the deed? Please help Tim, this ‘problem’ undermines my productivity.

Congratulations on your new book, it sounds like a mindblowing read! But as a competitive CrossFit performer, I was wondering if this book is able to enhance my overall CrossFit performance and perform better in competition, where my body needs to be great in an all around perspective?

Just bought the book, half-way through and I’m already in tears! I fly twice almost twice a week, used to pull out a shaker but eventually got tired of the nasty looks and people covering their noses, so I stopped and ate the crap given on planes….Thanks for the Almond tip, I love the roasted and salted- hope that’s okay…Is it? Oh and can relate to the Egg whites with with salsa, although used to add Grana(Parmasan) will start pulling it out though(very reluctantly…) OH and THANK YOU AND I LOVE YOU for the Red Wine….I die for merlot!!

I’m just on my way out to purchase The 4-Hour Body so obviously I haven’t read it yet. This is in response to some of the comments you’ve made on YouTube interviews, i.e. having Alzheimers and Parkinsons disease on both sides of your family and wanting to live 120 years.

Please check out the work of Dr. Geerd Hamer whose work called German New Medicine is to “Medicine” as finding out the Earth was round to the flat earthers.

It’s brilliant, revolutionary, makes total sense and gives individuals the ability to look after their own health.

I just ordered the book from Amazon. For a long time I thought “this is so not for me,” a 63-yr old woman who’s naturally slim and not very interested in working out.

Then I turned up with severe anemia, cause as yet undetermined, outrageously high cholesterol, and a popping, painful sacro-iliac (which I always thought was a joke ailment). So I’m thinkin’… I won’t be lifting 500 pounds any time soon but the info in your book might help! Thanks. (I’ll be happy to get back to lifting 50 lb. bags of dog food.)

Complete winner. I purchased a hard cover copy and the Kindle addition (which is brilliant btw. I can make notes and mark important passages without ruining my paper copy). I will be start the implementation Monday, December 27th. Measurements are taken and I am ready to go!!!

BTW Where is the bonus material? Did I miss something toward the end of the book?

Was wondering how I could purchase the ultrasound analyzer you used to check body fat. I’m running a 60-day Paleo competition at my CrossFit gym w/ part of the prize being determined by body fat. Thank you for your efforts and keep up the great inspiring work!! KINDLE!!!

Read the 4HWW and it was amazing to hear from someone else on the same wave length. It gave me the extra push to get time off work to attend school part time (teleworking 1 day a week on campus) and to take a 4mth leave (aka mini retirement) from work after 10 years at a company to finish a Kinesiology degree. Folks at work were shocked – feels great!

As well, as a part time personal trainer and fitness competitor, I will definitely be ordering your latest book. Sounds interesting – I look forward to experimenting!

HI. I normally don’t comment on things that I purchase, but I just received my 4HB book today from Amazon.com. I was extremely skeptical the first time I took a glance at it online. I still am a bit skeptical. I can say though, that I am now on page 71 in less than twenty minutes and I had to go dig out a highlighter. A highlighter–>sounds crazy right? There is just soo much information in here that the average beginner to taking control of her life, cant possibly swallow up in one read through.

I’m impressed. I need to lose a total of 80lbs, to be back to the weight I was before having my son Five Years Ago. What better time to start now, with the new year coming in. I think I’ll start with the simple 20lbs first to lose, and then go on from there.

I thank you for your hard work and dedication on this book. I’ve only just begun, but I think that I’ll keep reading! 🙂

Enjoying your book! I am having an issue with AGG. On p.116 you give your recommendations for each dose. However, at the end of the chapter under tools and tricks you recommend specific brands that contain much higher than the minimum per dose. For example, the garlic, you recommend 200mg per dose, 4x per day is 800mg. The brand you recommend comes in 650mg tablets. Is one supposed to take 200mg at each dose or 650mg at each dose? There is a similar issue with the ‘A’ also. You recommend 300-900mg per day and recommend a brand that is 300mg per dose and you recommend 4 doses per day for a total of 1200mg/day. I know all of this is experimental for each person, but I am a bit confused on the proper starting doses. Should one start with the exact doses on p.116 and find brands that fit the dose size? If so, would you mind recommending specific brands? Thank you for writing a fascinating book.

Just got the book…amazing read it in 2 days now (even though was supposed to be a buffet) Just one question for anyone who might have insight (Tim your insight might help too) The slow carb diet has starches only being consumed after a workout like those in Occams Protocol. However in Occams protocol chapter it says feeding with this workout should have a grain in non shake meals. Contradiction? Since both chapters refer to the other i figured they could be done together. If i follow slow carb and use occams protocol without the grains (unless workout) will it be sufficient nutrition for muscle growth?

Thank you what would you suggest for muscle maintenance or exercise protocol during weight loss. I should have outlined I have been training for some time now and have been advancing to weights of about 205 squat, 225 deadlift, 70 lbs chest press 25-30 lbs curls but would like to trim down without much muscle loss. Thanks

Thanks just one follow up. What would you suggest in regards to muscle maintenance then. I have some experience training and a general outline of where I am at:

Squat: 205

Deadlift 225 (3 sets of 10, did not know of MED lol)

70 lbs chest press

30 lbs curl (sets of 10)

112 barbel shoulder press

Losing fat beyond 13 % has been a problem until the slow carb diet…thank you.. I do however want to maintain the muscle I have whilst losing the next few %. Suggestions? Btw I tweeted you in regards to education (username The Raz) can be reached at either location. Thanks take care

Just got your book for the nook andcan’t stop reading it.So much useful information and I can say I beleive because you have researched and experimented on everything. My husband and I are starting the diet tomorrow but need to know what constitutes a (workout).He just joined the gym and wants to get full use of it but you recommend only working out 2 x per week for 20 minutes.Is it ok to do other forms of excersize like running or cardio and just not left weights.He is looking for a routine he can follow along with the eating plan.What recommendations for a routine would you have per day. Any help you can offer would be great and also…should he eat the carb you talk of if he’s trying to go from Geek to Freek.Your results were just amazing in 4 weeks time. Amazing book…can’t wait to finish it.I’ll look for your reply.

Tim, the book is amazing, but I have to point out something in your fat burning stack that can potentially very dangerous to many readers. ALA (alpha lipoic acid) is a powerful chelator of mercury and can cause horrible health problems in people who have silver amalgam (mercury fillings) in their teeth. Refer to the work of Dr. Andrew Cutler on the subject. ALA taken in an indiscriminate manner will redistribute the mercury from your teeth and into your brain and body. The health effects can be devastating!

ALA works as a pharmaceutical when it comes to mercury in the body and must be taken in a very specific manner. It can be very dangerous to many people.

Dr Cutler warns against this in very stark terms. Someone asked him why people with amalgam fillings shouldn’t take ALA. His response was brutal:

“Because it will suck lots of mercury out of the filings and slam it

into her brain. People with quite frank mercurialism that they got from some bright boy physician Rx’ing ALA because he heard it was a good antioxidant are starting to show up clinically. It is a not uncommon problem. Takes a few months to a year to develop. The people typically get neurological and heart problems.”

I have 3 amalgam fillings, and thankfully I ran across this before I started taking ALA. I feel like I dodged a bullet.

Greetings from Venezuela…a couple of qs;1) I have the iPad/kindle version of your 4-hour body book, and I can’t find anywhere the link to the bonus material..not in the e-book, not in your website, forums, google search, etc. Where can I get the bonus material? 2) About Allicin in PAAG, what is the correct dosage that you recommend? I am confused about the use of it, since you mention garlic extract, and also allicin (contained in garlic). Cheers!

Got the book and have been dissecting it page by page. Read the entire thing 3 times over already. Started on the diet 1/2/11. I do have one question however and was wondering if anyone can help.

There are many topics in the book and I want to commit to several of them. However, it is hard to figure out how to combine all of them together. For example, the slow carb diet is clear but then in the other chapter Tim talks about eating sauerkraut first thing in the morning, then in another one its full glass of iced water to increase metabolism, yet in another chapter about sexuality, its Brazilian nuts in the morning. All those chapters are important to me so do I combine all of the things or….

In the same issue maybe more of concern are the pills and the supplements. There are supplement recommendation in almost all of the chapters that I am interested in. Do I combine all of the supplements together? Is that safe? That is a lot of pills.

Is it possible for Tim to post simplified hourly schedule just like he has for his Damage Control chapter on page 101, except for regular diet day. The eating schedule on page 73 but more detailed like page 101. Exactly what does Tim eat before breakfast. Is it the Sauerkraut or the Brazilian nuts or the cod liver or all of the above? Exactly when the AGG are taken?

When I combined all the supplements together from all of the chapters it looks like this: AGG, probiotics, potassium add to that vitamin D3, cod liver, and magnesium at night. Does this sound correct? I just don’t want to screw this up.